


Bachelor Number Twelve

by andnowforyaya



Series: B.A.P Bingo Challenge Fills [5]
Category: B.A.P, K-pop
Genre: Charity Auctions, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 09:26:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4430060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andnowforyaya/pseuds/andnowforyaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hotel where Daehyun works calls him in to help staff an event tonight: The Seoul Arts Foundations' Charity Bachelor Auction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bachelor Number Twelve

Daehyun fidgets near the back wall of the events hall with his black bow-tie, scanning the tables full of dining guests for someone who might need a refill, or a new cloth napkin, or a replacement fork, or their ego fluffed. The events director of the hotel has really outdone herself this time, planning the charity auction for The Seoul Arts Foundation, which is really just a bunch of old, stuffy rich people piling their money together in order to make more money, and who awarded one or two artists every year for their excellent contributions to society. As part of the regular hotel staff, Daehyun was called in when someone else unexpectedly called out sick, and he was briefed in a matter of seconds.

Good waiters and waitresses blend into the background, attending to needs before they become needs, so Daehyun keeps a wary eye out while attempting to straighten out his bow-tie, certain that it’s askance. He’s dressed in a simple, crisp black shirt and black pants, everything neatly pressed according to hotel standards. He can’t help but feel like he’s forgotten something in his rush over when the answer slams into his brain and he sighs. He’ll have to text Himchan when he’s got a quick break to apologize for cancelling dinner (again).

“Can’t be that boring, can it?” someone says near the vicinity of his elbow. Daehyun turns to look, apology on his lips, but sees a man about his own age wearing a similar uniform of black pants and a black shirt. His shoulders are broad and beneath the shirt Daehyun can see the faint outline of a muscled chest.

“Where’s your bow-tie?” Daehyun asks him, tilting his head to the events director, who is in the corner watching the stage, mouthing the words of the speech the CEO of the Foundation is giving in real-time, eyes lit up and intense. “It’s not boring, I guess; I just had plans,” Daehyun continues, answering the other’s question.

The man quirks his eyebrow, and it makes his face change from round and boyish to sharp and considering in an instant. “I forgot it,” he says airily. He chuckles. “You mean your first choice of fun for the evening wasn’t coming to a charity bachelor auction?”

“Charity bachelor auction,” Daehyun repeats dumbly. “Bachelor...auction? We’re auctioning off bachelors?!” He quickly drops his gaze and lowers his face, aware he might be getting too loud; he’s had more than one “performance improvement conversation” about the volume of his voice and his incessant need to chatter with guests.

The other man chuckles again, and the sound makes Daehyun think of champagne bubbling in its bottle. “No one told you?”

“I was called in,” Daehyun says, frowning. "They just told me it was an auction event. I thought they were auctioning, I don't know, _art work_."

“Bad luck.”

Daehyun shakes his head, clucking his tongue. “Typical, though. I’ve been to so many of these -- rich people always make such a big to-do about donating money. It’s like, if you’re _really_ a good person at heart, you don’t need all these fancy events so that everyone can sing your praises, right? That’s why I really respect that Bang Yongguk guy. No one knew about all the charities _he_ was donating to and supporting until that article came out--”

“ _South Korea’s Top 30 Most Eligible Bachelors Under 30_? Yeah, he’s here, too.”

“Really?” Daehyun squeakily whispers, immediately blushing. He might have pored over Yongguk’s pictures in that article more than the other pictures. Actually, he might have only looked at Yongguk’s part in the article. He’s just -- inspirational, you know? Yeah.

“What -- you have a crush?”

“No,” Daehyun squeaks again, nudging the other guy with his shoulder.

“--so without further ado,” the CEO begins to announce, lifting her hands like she’s calling down some heavenly intervention, “I give you Seoul’s most eligible bachelors! Available to you for the highest price you’re willing to donate. Winning bids will get their Bachelor for one full day, and each Bachelor has a different plan for their perfect date. All proceeds from this event -- including your ticket prices, bids, and other donations -- will go directly into our Art for Schools fund, an ongoing initiative that grows every year focused on bringing more arts programs into our schools. And now I hand the mic over to Miss Minah, who will oversee auction proceedings.”

The man next to Daehyun shrugs on a black jacket Daehyun hadn’t noticed he’d been carrying in his arms. He examines the fabric for wrinkles, and then stands back with his palms slightly pointed towards Daehyun, hips angled just so. “How do I look?”

“Um,” Daehyun begins, blush crawling heavily onto his cheeks. “Oh, my god. Are you--”

“Yoo Youngjae,” the man says, reaching out to shake Daehyun’s hand. His grip is strong and business-like, and Daehyun feels like the world’s biggest mold of Jello. “Bachelor number 12.”

.

Daehyun spends the next hour-and-a-half in a mild panic, sure that he’s going to fired by the end of the evening. He attends to the guests’ needs and tries to do his best, but can’t shake the thought that Youngjae will tell the events director everything he said and it will be the last “performance improvement conversation” he’ll ever have in this place, and then he’ll have to find another job.

The bachelors have all gone backstage, and Minah brings up a couple of bachelors and they go through their spiel -- what they do, what they like, what their perfect date would be -- but Daehyun is too busy with changing the course setting from main to dessert to coffee or drinks to pay much attention. Finally, when there seems to be a lull in dinner, the announcer calls up Youngjae, who strides up onto the stage like he owns it. The stage lights don’t drown him out like they did to the others. Youngjae is beaming and brilliant and, from Daehyun’s place in the back, his shoulders look even better from a distance.

“Oh my goodness!” the lady he’s serving whisper-yells, scandalized shock on her face when Daehyun looks down to apologize, seeing that he’s poured water to overflowing in her glass, spilling over onto the table.

“Sorry, miss. Sorry about that -- I’ll just--”

He cleans it up, eyes on Youngjae, freezing when Youngjae seeks him out and makes eye contact with him, too.

“I’m Yoo Youngjae and I’m 26 years old.” A smattering of applause. 26 makes him the same age as Daehyun. “I’m, at heart, a gamer. I grew up on video games. It only made sense that I would one day create them. And my company does just that. We do pretty well.” A low rumble of laughter in the audience. It's a well-known fact that YooPlay rakes in enough profit to hold their own against the bigger names in the gaming industry. Daehyun tries to remember to breathe and step away from the table to keep a respectable distance between himself and the guests. Youngjae seeks out his eyes again, and holds their gazes locked together.

“I graduated university at 17 and formed my company at 20, which is what everyone wants me to talk about -- how I did it, whatever obstacles I had to overcome. The truth is, I tried to see it as a big boss battle. If you don’t play video games, you might not understand the reference, but what I did was store up and gather all my knowledge and resources until I knew I had a hit, and then -- bam! Success. I got lucky. I know that. So I’m looking for someone who will ground my big head.” He laughs, and the audience laughs with him. Daehyun pulls uncertainly at his collar, unable to look away, feeling like the heat of the stage lights is on him instead of Youngjae. “Truthfully, though, I'm looking for someone who isn’t afraid of a challenge, to challenge me. Someone who makes me laugh, who confuses me at times, who is sincere in everything they do. It’s a generic answer, but I’m hoping to find that someone tonight.”

He winks. Daehyun just about collapses on the spot, but manages to hold his ground.

“Mr. Yoo,” Minah begins, an amused twinkle in her eye, “you are aware this is a charity event and not a match-making theater!”

Youngjae chuckles again. “Yes, I’m very aware. Just optimistic.”

“Mr. Yoo wants to start your date at the river, at Hangang Park, where you will go on a lovely bike ride on the winding paths there. After working up an appetite, he wants to take a class at O’ngo Food Communications, where you will work together to create a delicious meal. After, he wants to wind down with a movie and dinner at Once in a Blue Moon, an esteemed jazz venue serving great food and cocktails. For a romantic date with this bachelor, bidding will start at 500,000 _won_.”

Daehyun nearly gags at the starting price, especially when it quickly skyrockets to over 2 million _won_. That price would pay his rent for _months_ , and to everybody sitting down at the tables here, it’s just loose change. He refills more glasses of water in his serving area, rapidly growing embittered over the process.

A lull in the bidding has him focusing his attention back on stage, where he sees Youngjae whispering something to the announcer. The announcer’s face brightens, her eyes wide. Daehyun can practically see hearts in them.

“Ladies and ladies and gentlemen!” she announces cheerfully, “we have a fun twist in events. Mr. Yoo here feels so pleased and appreciative of your efforts, but wants to put forth his own bid of 5 million _won_ if he can choose a lucky single person from the audience tonight. How does that sound to everyone? Clap if you want to see who he chooses!”

The audience begins to clap, uncertainly at first, but picking up sound and speed as Minah urges everyone on and Youngjae blushes red under the hot lights. Daehyun wishes he had a serving tray he could hide his face behind. Seriously, these events are so embarrassing.

“Sounds like everyone agrees! Well, Mr. Yoo, did you set your sights on someone before coming up on stage?”

Seriously embarrassing. Daehyun has dreams of becoming a singer but he can’t imagine going on stage and selling himself like this. Well, maybe if the cause is pure enough--

“I did,” Youngjae says, pointing. “He’s right there.”

Daehyun turns to look, just as the entire audience turns to look, but sees nothing where Youngjae is pointing. Confused, he glances back around, where the lady he’d accidentally spilled water all over hisses graciously, “He means _you_.”

“M-me?” Daehyun asks, pointing to himself. The lady nods. Up on stage, Youngjae nods. Minah nods.

“What do you say, sir?” Minah asks animatedly, uncomfortable with the very real silence.

“Um,” Daehyun says past the lump in his throat. “Sure.”

“Going once, going twice -- and, _sold!_ for the gentleman in black behind the table at the price of 5 million _won_. Thank you, Mr. Yoo. Thank you, sir--” she gestures to Daehyun, who belatedly bows like a fool because he’s at a loss at what else to do “--and thank you, diners, as always, for your graciousness and generosity. Art for Schools would not be able to run its programs without you; that is a fact!”

Youngjae exits the stage, and an auction spotter immediately runs up to him to have him fill out some paperwork to pledge the 5 million _won_. Minah calls the next bachelor up.

Daehyun is frozen. He feels like the ice he needs to replace in the water pitchers. Yeah, that’s what he’ll do, as Youngjae is walking over. He’s going to go back to the kitchen and replace all the ice and take about an hour doing so, and then dinner will be over, and this will all have been a weird, strangely fantastical, dream.

Unfortunately, Youngjae must sense his desire to run, because he speeds up and catches Daehyun’s elbow. “Hey.”

Daehyun stares. Now that he’s really looking, he can see that Youngjae is beautiful -- long, sooty lashes and a perfect nose and rosy cheeks. He feels a bit like a first year student about to confess to his senior crush.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Daehyun. Jung Daehyun.”

“Well, Jung Daehyun. When are you free?”

He says it with such a smarmy (read: charming) look on his face. Daehyun pushes his hand from his elbow and keeps walking. Incredulously, Youngjae follows him nearly all the way into the kitchen, but they pause a bit outside of the doors. Trying to shake him, Daehyun says, “That was -- really inconsiderate.”

The grin falls from Youngjae’s lips. “What? Why?”

“How could I have said no? In front of all these people? In front of my boss? Of course I had to agree.”

“So...you don’t want to go on a date with me?”

“That’s not what I said,” Daehyun says, frowning, battling desires within himself. On the one hand, Youngjae is rich and cute and probably really nice and cares about social causes like art programs in schools. On the other hand, he just bought Daehyun for the price of 5 million _won_.

“Okay...so…” Youngjae begins uncertainly, and his nervousness is what does Daehyun in.

“You could have just asked me, normally. Like, after the event. If I wanted to. And I would have said yes. And I wouldn’t have to tell you that I didn’t like being put on the spot like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Youngjae says immediately. “I didn’t want it to come across that way. I just really wanted to go on a date with you. I haven’t dated much--”

“Wednesday at 7,” Daehyun says, and Youngjae pauses with a look of consternation. “That’s when I’m free. Drinks and dinner, first. Then if it goes well we can do all that other stuff you talked about on stage.”

“Really?” Youngjae asks, beaming. He has the joviality of a boy opening a present and finding exactly what he wanted inside. He must really not have dated much, Daehyun thinks, what with being a genius and all.

“Really.”

.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Secret](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4485303) by [allpowerfullou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allpowerfullou/pseuds/allpowerfullou)




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